London – AFP
On Saturday, Moscow accused Britain of “trying to establish a pro-Russian leader in Kiev” and “thinks” of Ukraine’s “occupation”, with the Russian Foreign Ministry calling the allegations “nonsense.” The Russian Foreign Ministry called on London via Twitter to “stop spreading nonsense,” while the White House said the United States considered the British allegations “very worrying.”
In the wake of the US-Russia talks, British Foreign Secretary Lis Truss condemned the “scale of Russian action aimed at destabilizing Ukraine”, which, according to our information, seeks to establish the Russian government. The pro-Russian leader in Kiev planned to invade Ukraine and its occupation.
The British Foreign Office pointed out that “former Ukrainian MP Yevgeny Murray is considered a viable candidate,” but he added: “We have information that Russian intelligence services have links with a number of former Ukrainian politicians.
The British Foreign Office report also mentions the names of Sergei Arbusov (Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister from 2012 to 2014, then interim prime minister), Andrei Klovyev (former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych’s presidency) and Volodymyr Sivkovich. Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Security Council (formerly Ukrainian), and Mykola Azarov (Prime Minister of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014).
The British Foreign Office says some of them are currently in contact with Russian intelligence agents who are planning to attack Ukraine.
For its part, the White House said on Saturday that the United States was “deeply concerned” about British allegations of Moscow’s attempts to impose a pro – Russian leader in Ukraine. “This kind of conspiracy is very worrying,” said Emily Horn, a spokeswoman for the U.S. National Security Council. The Ukrainian people have a sovereign right to determine their future, and we stand with democratically elected partners in Ukraine.
The British accusations against Moscow came amid a serious crisis between Russia and the West over Ukraine.
At a time when tens of thousands of Russian troops are still concentrated on the Ukrainian border, both sides are currently making serious diplomatic efforts to prevent the situation from deteriorating.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has agreed to meet with his British counterpart Ben Wallace, who has suggested that the meeting take place in Moscow.
The bilateral meeting, since 2013, aims to explore all avenues for achieving stability and resolving the Ukrainian crisis, a British Defense Ministry source said on Saturday. But holding the meeting in the wake of the British accusation is questionable.
The Kremlin denies any motive for occupying Ukraine, but calls for the end of agreements to reduce NATO expansion, especially Ukraine’s involvement and withdrawal of NATO forces from Eastern Europe, which Westerners consider unacceptable, threatening Russia. With severe sanctions in case of an attack on Ukraine.
